Not Cherry Pie!

My blog has moved

2009-03-02T13:07:00.002-05:00

I decided to have them all in the same place for ease of update.
Click here to get there.

House of Kittehs!

2008-12-27T15:16:00.004-05:00

Anita gutted a broken monitor & I made a cat bed for my desk.
If I can get them to use it* I will make a real cushion, then paint & embellish it. If not, maybe I can still do that then sell it.

*PowPow has slept in it one time & he's the only cat who has done it.

Gimme Seven!

2008-11-09T11:35:00.004-05:00

He can, ya know...

PowPow!7 in all his Kitteh Cuteness...

2008-11-05T20:24:00.003-05:00

What the 1st picture isn't showing...

More Vids of the Boys!

2008-11-05T14:16:00.004-05:00

Kenny & PowPow!

2008-11-03T22:06:00.003-05:00

Crafters For Obama! Go Donate! NOW!

2008-09-25T14:46:00.004-05:00

Lesson 2, Step 1

2008-07-13T19:02:00.004-05:00

I finally got all 5000 of the fabric pieces ready. Nothing is attached yet,
just sitting there waiting patiently for me to be sure I like the look.

What I Do In My Spare Time!

2008-07-10T22:55:00.004-05:00

Lesson 1, Step 2

2008-07-10T20:35:00.002-05:00

Lesson 1, Step 2
Originally uploaded by cherrythepig

This is the painted part of my Telemadera Fusion project for the Joggles class I'm taking online. I forgot to take a picture of Step 1. I haven't picked the fabrics yet but they will be from my stash as I have vowed to buy no new fabrics for 4 months.

An Easy Recycled Cardboard Wallet Tutorial

2008-06-26T14:36:00.002-05:00

I took "The Pledge" at Wardrobe Refashion!

2008-06-19T16:10:00.002-05:00

I love Googly Eyes!

2008-03-31T17:40:00.003-05:00

Fridge magnet sent to Chickpea.

Altered 2008 Calendar

2008-03-25T21:06:00.004-05:00

This was sent to Michelle for an Altered Calendar swap
I hostessed on the 'bot. I would do this again.

Anthropomorphic Leek!

2008-01-27T17:53:00.001-05:00

The Twat Swap!

2008-01-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

Magnets painted red/copper:Embroidered Hand Towel:

My 1st ever altered book with a secret compartment
containing an origami vulva made from a dollar bill.
(My mother would be so proud!)

Cuttlefish Shrine Fridge Magnet

2008-01-13T11:25:00.002-05:00

for Leia

Altered Text ATCs

2007-12-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

This is an angeled swap &

I've never made them before.They were harder to do than I expected.

Update: Received the destroyed envelope with 1 card in a body bag on 1-11-08. Card #2 above is MIA & a replacement is being created. All will be resent this week.

Quick & Easy Gift

2007-12-12T17:14:00.000-05:00

Last minute gift took less than 90 minutes -
would have been faster if I hadn't used furry fabric &
had actually followed the directions as written!From the pattern at weewonderfuls.com

I ♥ Carving Rubber Stamps!

2007-12-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

Stamp #2 made for Hannah

Handcrafted Happiness Swap to Michelle

2007-12-07T23:54:00.001-05:00

Embroidered on a flour sack kitchen towelLoteria Ornament

My 1st rubber stamp!

WTA ATC November & December

2007-12-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

Recently Sent Out

2007-12-01T19:09:00.000-05:00

Altered R Magnet sent to Ruthy

Crafty Daisies Bookmark Swap!

2007-11-15T21:29:00.002-05:00

Sent to Sweden - the seahorse is from the pattern I got at futuregirl.com

Very Cool Stuff Recently Received!

2007-11-02T22:34:00.001-05:00

From mrsD, it's Bwatsy!
From Kessie, the most fab Flying Goat ATC ever!

Meet Kenny!

2007-10-26T11:49:00.001-05:00

His full name is Kendoll R. Y-K
Yes, it's pronounced like Ken Doll 'cause he's so perfect!
The R stands for Remote (as in TV Remote Control) - when Anita first saw
him she said that people were holding him like he was a remote control.

Finally, my APCs for Sharon!

2007-10-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

I ♥ Neil ♦

2007-10-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

for WTA ATC October 2007

Ugly Doll?

2007-10-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

This is the bat I made for Leia in the Ugly Doll Swap.

I was just calling him GayBoyBat, but Leia named him "Jacket".

Doberman ATC

2007-10-03T23:56:00.000-05:00

More of Mrrranda's book put to good use!

Gracie is a happy dog!

2007-10-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

My Final 8 Morsbags!

2007-10-01T09:42:00.001-05:00

Added to our Pod which is currently tied for #1 in the World!

Needle Books Galore!

2007-10-01T09:39:00.000-05:00

Little Horse Shrine

2007-10-01T09:37:00.000-05:00

My 1st shrine, made for Hilary!

More, more, more...

2007-09-29T10:52:00.001-05:00

Wonderful winged cards for my deck from Heather!

This Just In...More APCs for MyDeck!

2007-09-14T14:04:00.000-05:00

Aren't they Wonderful?

Sharon made all of these gorgeous cards!

I can only hope the ones I make for her are this fab.

Weekly World News - R.I.P. Tribute Swap

2007-09-06T08:12:00.000-05:00

Don't tell Terry...it'll be our secret!

2007-09-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

Here's the sock dog I made for her for a swap she was flaked on.

My 1st (and last) sock animal!

Angeled APCs

2007-09-04T23:14:00.001-05:00

Stephanie angeled me for a flaked APC swap.
The "2 of Crafts" has a purple & red checkerboard like my craft room floor!

More APCs For My Personal Deck!

2007-08-31T14:54:00.001-05:00

From Hilary - aren't they wonderful?

ATCs from Brenda

2007-08-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

"Westie with Wings!"

"Crazy-head House!"

Pay It Forward!

2007-08-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

The first three people that leave a comment and pledge to pay it forward to three others will receive just-for-you handmade gift from me within one year of this posting.

This was snagged from Danielle's blog. I love this idea & hope it catches on. So comment & pay it forward on your own blog.

More ATCs Sent Out!

2007-08-25T14:54:00.001-05:00

Made for Swapbot Forum Swaps using old
encyclopedia pages from Mrrranda's book.

ATCs Recently Sent Out

2007-08-25T14:47:00.000-05:00

for "The Funnies" Swap

Mixed-Body Art!

2007-08-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

from Heather
It's adorable!

Random KItten Generator!

2007-08-24T07:32:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love kittens?

OMFG! A Shrine to My Boyfriend!!!

2007-08-23T11:45:00.001-05:00

This was a surprise present from Missy today! I love it!

The Sound of Music Swap!

2007-08-21T15:50:00.000-05:00

Don't know what I was thinking - I didn't photograph my swap before I sent it out! Fortunately I scanned the postcard which I embellished with the same old curtains fabric that I used to make the 2 Morsbags I sent to my partner.

Pidgy Helps The World...

2007-08-12T10:56:00.001-05:00

Making Morsbags!

The Next 3 APCs for My Deck!

2007-08-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

from Mel

International Exchange Program!

2007-08-08T23:41:00.001-05:00

Pidgy is here from Belgium for the next 30 days, while

Mr. Ping has gone to Belgium for 30 days.

Recent Swaps Out

2007-08-03T21:08:00.000-05:00

Sent to Courtney - includes my 1st pin cushion & 2nd handmade book.

My 1st needle book was sent to Roberta in Brazil.

A mini-morsbag with a Firefly theme for a gift.

Crafty Browncoats Swap sent out

Monarch Chrysalis!

2007-07-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

This is so beautiful!

Juli left it on my tree. Unfortunately, one day I looked & the butterfly
was gone. I missed the emergence, but the chrysalis shell is pretty cool.

The Rest Of The Baby Stuff!

2007-07-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

Finally went over & took pictures of the bibs (& burp cloths) that I forgot to photograph before giving away.

The 1st APCs for my personal deck!

2007-07-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

These are by Hilary - my deck is going to be fabulous!

Faces of War look at Faces of Peace

2007-07-13T23:42:00.000-05:00

Chickens!!! Swap

2007-07-13T11:56:00.001-05:00

Sent these pin cushions out for my Chickens!!! Swap.

Pixel on an ATC!

2007-07-12T22:19:00.001-05:00

I Love Making Books!

2007-07-04T19:44:00.001-05:00

This is the book I made for Hilary. It was my 1st handmade book & I had a blast making it. There were 3 sections of 10 sheets of paper folded in 1/2 - so 120 pages if you count front & back. Each section had several kinds of paper in random order - handmade, sketchpad, watercolor - which were sewn together with waxed dental floss, then glued on to the cardboard cover. I glued down strips from some Russian/English dictionary pages (Thanks, Mikkary!) to cover the stitching & make it look more finished. I made an extra flap on the cover so any extras stuck inside later would be more likely to stay inside the book.

The entire cover is 1 piece of cardboard with dictionary page corners.

Inside front has graphics that I hope Hilary will like, with
dictionary page strips covering the gap between pages & cover

Random graphics were glued to random pages.

Full sized graphic inserted randomly in the bound pages.

Button was attached with twine to help keep the book closed.
(this was a vintage button from my Mom's button tin)

Very Cool Jewelry I've Received From Honeyspur!

2007-06-30T17:34:00.000-05:00

Seeing The Light and The Lady In The Lake
Surf City and Sea Cruise
Theodora's Last Rites
Red Robin
The Manor, Overgrown

My 1st Pin Cushion!

2007-06-30T17:22:00.000-05:00

I've been having a lot of firsts lately. Yesterday I finished my first handmade journal, but won't post any pics until it's received as I want it to be a surprise. I feel OK about posting this as the person I'm sending it to has no idea what she is getting...

Altered Playing Cards - My 1st Time!

2007-06-27T22:01:00.001-05:00

SwapBot Forum Swaps Out!

2007-06-27T21:44:00.001-05:00

"Death & Poppy" to BettyTurbo

"Altered S" to Sam

1-on-1 Swap Out

2007-06-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

To Honeyspur in exchange for her fabulous jewelry!
You can check out her gorgeous stuff here.

Our New Khhhids!

2007-06-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

Toro & Eddie

Ice Cream In A Bag!!!

2007-06-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

What You Need

1 tablespoon Sugar
1/2 cup Milk or 1/2 & 1/2
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
6 tablespoons Rock salt
1 pint-size Ziploc plastic bag
1 gallon-size Ziploc plastic bag
Ice cubes

How To Make It

Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one and seal again carefully.
Shake until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes.
Wipe off top of small bag, then open carefully and enjoy!

from Kaboose

I can tell you right now I'd be at least doubling it & adding chocolate or fruit.

Monkzardo sent me some fab stuff...

2007-06-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

My new boyfriend Mr.Ping! Here he is hanging with me at the timeclock.

Tasha's new BFF, the yellow & black bug.

There was way more than this. These are just the action shots!

Cherry is a BFP!

2007-05-23T22:41:00.001-05:00

This is Miss Cherry in all of her 800lb glory...note me &
"tiny" 75lb Gracie for size comparison.

Fun With Pockets ATCs

2007-05-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

This swap partner is a quilter.

This swap partner is an event planner.

This swap partner has 6 cats.

Pimping My Swap...

2007-05-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

War & Peace

I've decided to host a swap on Swap-bot. People that know me will be totally shocked at the theme I picked.

I got G-A-L!

2007-05-17T23:46:00.000-05:00

Sent to me in the Word Triptych Swap from Carolyn in the UK.

There's Something About Llamas...

2007-05-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

Crafty Daisies OUT!

2007-05-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

The main thing I made for this swap was the purse.

Second, the reversible totebag.

Handmade Bookmark Swap

2007-05-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

Here are the 3 bookmarks I made for this swap. I originally planned to make them from fabric, but after getting the
StickerMaker 2000 I changed my mind.

Show Us Your Dirty Wow Wow*!

2007-05-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

Well I did. I sent in my childhood companion Bunny, including closeups of her stitches. Now my secret is out I will share it with you too. Introducing...Bunny!
*What's a Dirty Wow Wow? It's the shabby stuffed toys and blankies you clung to and treasured from childhood, with nicknames like "Fuzzy Wuzzy," "Night Night," "Huggie," "Dup Dup," and yes, "Dirty Wow Wow." Ten Speed Press celebrates these well-loved friends of childhood in the book Dirty Wow Wow, a touching, sweet, and funny collection of photos and stories.

The Coolest New Toy Ever - a sticker maker!

2007-05-09T00:05:00.000-05:00

I went to Joann's to get some very important stuff that I had to have. One of the the things I was going to look for was a new & improved way to glue things down to my paper crafts. I've been using a teeny glue stick which is a big fat pain in the ass. I figured with all of the people who scrap book there must be some sort of super easy sticking product. Well, there may be but I don't know what it is & I didn't see any kind of special glue-type stuff, so I got a big fat glue stick. It's got to be easier when you can cover more paper with one swipe.

So, back to my new toy. I've never spent any time on the scrap book aisle so I had no idea what was there. I looked around for some non-cheesy sale items I might be able to use on ATCs. Then I saw it, a sparkly purple Xyron 150 create-a-sticker, "perfect for scrapbooking & more"! Refillable! (good) Non-Toxic! (better) Acid-Free! (wtf? is this really important or a way to sell more crap to people) Makes stickers up to 1& 1/2" (3.8cm) Wide! (that seems a good size, ATCs are pretty small) "Easy as: 1 - insert item, 2 - pull & tear, 3 - peel & stick" How could I pass this up? I couldn't.

I freaking love it. It made sticking little things to my ATCs easier than pie!!! It may even be easier than 1-2-3!

Must...get...bigger...one...

#3 is B-O-Y

2007-05-09T00:04:00.001-05:00

I colored him some with pastel pencils.

D-A-Y is #2

2007-05-09T00:02:00.000-05:00

It'd be a better morning if it would rain...seriously.

P-I-G, my 1st ATC word triptych attempt

2007-05-08T23:56:00.000-05:00

Yeah, they're guinea pigs, with hearts.

ATCs from Vikki in the UK

2007-05-08T23:54:00.000-05:00

ATC from Elizabeth

2007-05-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

Tiny skulls look like candy. I want to try one but I know it's plastic.

I'm a Swapping Fool!

2007-05-05T23:41:00.000-05:00

I love Swap-bot! It is my new favorite place.

Stuffie #2...a success!

2007-05-04T01:56:00.000-05:00

Wool Scraps!!!

2007-05-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

I wanted some wool yarn scraps to use for my voodoo doll pin cushion's hair. I jut got this fab yarn from Hilary. I love 1-on-1 swapping on Swap-bot!

My 1st Stuffie...

2007-04-26T08:44:00.000-05:00

...that actually looked like I wanted it to. I made this to send to someone for a "surprise based on her profile."

The other times I tried were crafts-gone-horribly-wrong-that-ended-up-as-dog-toys. I feel confident that I can continue to make stuffies-for-human-use now!

Meeting New People - the Easy Way!

2007-04-16T17:36:00.000-05:00

I decided to expand my horizons & meet new people. Of course, I won't see them face to face, but that's ok. In fact, it takes all of the pressure out of it. I'm talking about Swaps. In a Swap you send a predetermined item to a person that you have been randomly paired up with.

Right now I am signed up for 4 different Swaps:
1) Crafty Daisies - pack as much stuff as possible into an $8.10 priority mailer. Rules are summer theme & 1 item must be handmade. Only 1 item? Not in my box... I'm working on this one right now.
2) 24 Hours in Your Life in a letter - document everything you do in a regular day. In detail with color commentary. Hmmm, right up my alley. I have 3 "penpals" - 2 in the UK & 1 in West Virginia. I don't know if they have me also, or if 3 other people will send their days to me. I'm mailing them out tomorrow. SENT, but only received 1 so far
3) Effortless Entertaining International Swap - 2 easy party recipes to 3 different people. I already have my recipes & am just waiting on their names. SENT, haven't received any yet
4) For the Foodies #2 - a food related article & favorite recipe to 1 person. Yeah, I've got that one ready too, just waiting on the name... SENT & RECEIVED!

My 1st Swap!

2007-04-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

I signed up for the Crafty Daisies swap & got my recipient's name today.

I'm excited as I know exactly what I'm going to make for her. I wish that she had me as she makes things that I don't, but it's like a Secret Santa thing so I don't know who has me. I have about 3 weeks before I need to pack the box up, so I have lots of time to find fun stuff to send. I love surprises, so I think that swapping is right up my alley.

Boring Old Cork Board?

2007-04-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

Cover it in a fun new fabric!

Bibs 3 & 4

2007-04-06T15:24:00.000-05:00

Bib 2, Burp Cloth 1

2007-04-05T22:27:00.000-05:00

I decided on velcro. Tonight I made Bib 2 & Burp Cloths 1 & 2.
(Burp Cloth 2 is unpatterned fabric & made like 1)

My "Evil Twin" Blog

2007-04-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

Trying out another blog site. The blog is called "I'm Not A Nurse, But My Cat Is...". I plan to put all my not-crafty stuff there so this site will be pure unadulterated craft!

Link to Craft Pics

2007-04-04T18:43:00.000-05:00

I made a separate page on my Grove Street Photo Blog for craft photos. It's called "Yeah, I'm Crafty!" Clicking on "nurseiris" at the top of the page will get you to my not-craft photo albums.

Free Baby Bib Patterns Aren't Easy To Find!

2007-04-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

My friend is having a baby so I decided to make her a dozen-ish baby bibs & some burp cloths. I figured it would be a piece of cake to find a free online pattern. Surprisingly there were very few patterns that met my minimal criteria: fabric without ties. (Lots of knitted & crocheted bibs- who wears them?) Finally I went to "Wee-cycle" & bought 2 bibs for .50 each. I made my own patterns in about 5 minutes. I"ve sewn the fist bib and my new dilemma is velcro vs. snaps. I have some of each. Below is each side of Bib #1.

My 1st Craft Room!

2007-04-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

It's wonderful to have a place where I can everything out & it will remain exactly there until I get back (unless the cats have a party). It'll never look this neat again...